Dust mop cleaner



Nov. 29, 1955 c. c. CONKEY DUST MOP CLEANER Filed Feb. 6, 1952 INVENTOR. CHARLES C. CONKEY AT TOR NEY United States Patent DUST MOP CLEANER Charles C. Conkey, Portland, Oreg.

Application February 6, 1952, Serial No. 276,204

1 Claim. (Cl. 15310) My invention relates to improvements in dust mop cleaners and the primary object is to provide means of removing the dust and dirt from the mop within a container, the said dust and dirt being removed from the container into a vacuum cleaner or the like.

In the carrying out of this object, the mop is moved across and through flexible fingers or agitators which vibrate through the mop while the mop is being moved across and around the said fingers.

These special resilient fingers remove the dust and dirt from the mop due to their resilient and flexible nature, permitting the movement of the mop through and around the fingers, a clawing or dragging action being transmitted from the tips of the fingers or agitators into the fibers of the mop.

These and other incidental objects will be apparent in the drawings, specification and claim.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my new and improved mop cleaner.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the cleaner, showing the mop about to be applied to the dust removing fingers.

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail, partially sectional view, illustrating the principle of the flexible fingers or agitators passing through the mop, removing the dust and dirt therefrom.

Referring more specifically to the drawings:

My new and improved dust mop cleaner consists of a container 1, which may be of a cylindrical form as illustrated for cleaning the average mop, but the form of this container could take an oblong shape to accommodate oblong mops.

The bottom 2 of the container 1 may be a separate element, facilitating the manufacture of the container. Extending substantially vertically from the upper surface 3 of the bottom 2 and also extending substantially horizontally from the side walls of the container are flexible fingers or agitators A. These fingers may be made from rubber or other resilient material providing flexibility of the fingers as best illustrated in Figure 4. The fingers A each consist of a stem 4 having a cross bar 7 on the free end thereof.

I have found that T-shaped fingers are the best design due to the fact that when the mop 5 is moved across the upper surface of the stems they will flex, as indicated in Figure 4 and the ends 6 of the cross bars 7 will extend up into the fibers of the mop removing the dust and .dirt therefrom.

Due to the freedom of movement of the cross bar 7 0 "ice and the flexibility of the stem 4, the said tips 6 will pass through the fibers of the mop without getting caught within the fibers, but will vibrate around the fibers that may have a tendency to grip the tips 6. Therefore, a vigorous circular or crosswise movement of the mop over the fingers A will fiulf the fibers thoroughly, but still none of the said fingers will catch in the fibers, preventing the movement of the mop. The horizontal fingers or agitators A around the sides of the container engage the mop fibers laterally as the mop is moved about within the container.

The cross bars 7 of the substantially vertical agitators A are substantially coplanar while the substantially horizontal agitators A are substantially coplanar in a plane above the plane of the cross bars of the vertical agitators. The horizontal agitators are arranged so that they extend toward the spaces between the vertical agitators.

The bottom 2 is provided with a manifold 11 that terminates at one end in a vacuum discharge opening substantiallycentrally of the upper surface 3 of the bottom and at the other end terminates in an opening adapted to receive the coupling 14 of a vacuum hose line 13 leading to a cleaner or vacuum system. The upper surface 3 of the bottom 2 is provided with channels 8 which are radially disposed relative to the vacuum discharge opening of the manifold 11. The channels 8 are V-shaped both in outline and in cross-section and extend from apices 9 at the side walls of the container to bases 10 opening into the vacuum discharge opening 11. The edges 12 of the channels 8 are relatively sharp to assist in removing dust and dirt from a mop.

My new and improved mop cleaner is easy to store away, and it may be used to store the mop therein while not in use.

What I claim is:

A dust mop cleaner comprising an open top container having a bottom with a vacuum discharge opening in said bottom, radially disposed channels in said bottom, and which incline toward and communicate with said vacuum discharge opening, a group of resilient agitating elements extending substantially vertically from said bottom and arranged in spaced relation in a circle about said vacuum discharge opening, and a second group of resilient agitating elements arranged in spaced relation and extending substantially horizontally and inwardly from the inner side walls of the container, all of said agitating elements being T-shaped with the cross bars constituting the free ends thereof, the cross bars of said vertical agitating elements being substantially coplanar and said horizontal agitating elements being disposed substantially in a plane spaced above the plane of the cross bars of the vertical elements, said horizontal agitating elements extending toward the spaces between said vertical agitating elements.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,768,277 White June 24, 1930 1,935,157 Lisanti Nov. 14, 1933 2,101,667 Berman Dec. 7, 1937 2,159,176 Nelson May 23, 1939 2,510,860 Blumenson June 6, 1950 2,526,485 Kortick Oct. 17, 1950 

